Heaven's Fall
by sadeyedsun
Summary: A requested rewrite based on Perfectly Imperfect Love by Swagosaurus. Set one year after Sasuke returns to the village, he and Sakura are to be married. Naruto is no longer able to hide his feelings for Sakura, and after making a scene at the wedding, vows to abandon his teammates for good in an attempt to move on. Angsty NaruSaku fic. Noncanonical/altered universe.
1. Chapter 1

I'd like to preface this by saying that the original idea is from Perfectly Imperfect Love by user Swagasaurus! The initial chapter is the same although I deviate quite a bit, but if you read this, you should also read their story! All credit for the original idea goes to them. This is also entirely separate from my other story! xx

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" _I, Sakura Haruno, take you, Sasuke Uchiha,_

Her voice trembled with happiness.

 _To have and to hold, for better or for worse,_

Light glistened in her eyes like .

 _For richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health,_

The radiance of her face was blinding.

 _To love and to cherish from this day forward,_

Of all the times to feel resentful…

 _Till death do us part."_

This was not one of them.

" _You may now kiss the bride!"_

Amidst the cheers and applause, he desperately wished for it to end. He wanted to go home, eat a tub of ice cream, and cry himself to sleep like the emotional mess he was. But Naruto Uzumaki wouldn't. He had to ride this out. Never give up, never back down, never run away. His nindo was his life. But hearing her utter those words shattered his heart; the sight of her smile mended it for the moment. As their lips connected, Naruto forced himself to look away. He could feel the tears forming behind his eyelids, but he would not let them fall. This was her wedding day. The beginning of her own happiness, and selfishly, the end of his own. _That night…I guess it really was nothing to her._

"Speech, speech, speech!" The crowd called to him. _Oh, yeah. I'm the best man._ As he shakily walked up to the microphone, he avoided the heavy gazes of all the guests in the room. Especially those who knew of his true feelings, fearing he may somehow give himself away in front of everyone. He was wearing a navy blue tuxedo that complimented his eyes and his hair, now longer, caressed his eyebrows. He cleared his throat and began the speech. Reminiscing about their days as genin, he just about burst into tears as he thought of how strong Sakura's feelings for Sasuke were even then. He lingered on his memories of their closeness after Sasuke's betrayal, never wanting to leave them. Of how he promised to bring him back no matter what. Truly, it was the promise of a lifetime.

The guests erupted into applause, most of them awestruck at Naruto's composure and eloquence. Most would have assumed he'd rambled about ramen and simply yelled in its entirety, but he was certain to carefully construct his words. Claps on the back came from his fellow groomsmen, as well as a smirk from Sasuke. But Sakura was beaming with joy at him, obviously touched at his dedication. He forcibly grinned back at her, determined to keep her as happy as he could on her special day. Though he couldn't help but stare at the Uchiha crest that donned Sasuke's suit, and wondered how long it would be before she would simply be known as the Uchiha matriarch; No longer Sakura Haruno, but now Sakura Uchiha. The thought of it made him nauseous. It sickened him even more to think of the time that Sasuke had secretly been spending with Karin again. When Sakura thought he was out on a secret S-Rank mission, he knew where he really was. He had tried bringing it up to Sakura several times, but was unable to ever get it out, as the innocent look on her face was always enough to make him change the subject. He knew that Karin was a vital part in Sasuke's clan revival; she was even more in love with him than Sakura was. Naruto always hoped he was wrong, but had little room to doubt himself.

An hour later, and countless bottles of sake, the reception was in full swing. The music was loud, the crowd was happy, and Naruto was still miserable. He sat slumped in his chair, ignoring the concerned looks of Kakashi and Yamato. "Naruto, I would have thought by now you would have asked Sakura to dance," Kakashi smirked. He sipped his glass, embracing the gentle buzz of alcohol, and frowned _. I can't ask her to dance. If I do, I'll never let her go._ He shrugged it off. "Don't know where she is," he mumbled lamely. "I'm right here, dummy." A familiar voice sounded from behind him, and he felt his heart skip a beat. He looked over his should, and sighed when he saw her. _She's beautiful…_

"Well? You gonna ask, or what?" Sakura jeered, placing her hands on her hips. Her wedding dress was a shade of light pink, perfectly hugging and accenting ever curve her body. He suppressed the urge to groan, and forced himself to smile. All of his cynicism melted away when he saw he lips quirk upwards in happiness. "May I have this dance, Sakura-chan?" he asked. Watching her face glow with radiance, he allowed himself to smile genuinely, if only for a brief moment. He stood up and graciously grabbed her extended hand, and led her to near the closest corner of the room. She flung her arms around her neck, and he reluctantly let his hands fall to her hips. _Her wonderful, shapely hi—NO!_ Naruto shook his roaming thoughts from his head. He knew that this would only hurt him in the end. She rested her head on his shoulder, and he nervously stiffened. _Why, why, WHY of all times she chooses to be close to me, it's after she's married?! Kami hates me, I have no other explanation._ She sighed in delight, "I'm so happy. Thank you, Naruto. For everything." Her voice trailed off as she relaxed even more in his arms. He grimaced. Passing glances from every couple fell on them as they swayed. He caught the eye of Yamato who, understanding far too well, gave him a sad, knowing smile. "Yeah. I'm happy too," he mumbled unconvincingly. He never was any good at lying to her. She sighed at the sound of his deception. It would break her heart to do this, on today of all days, but it had to be done. _This is necessary…for the both of us._ "Naruto…I know how you still feel about me," she stated bluntly. His breath hitched in his throat, face hot with embarrassment, while he froze in his tracks. A ball of dread welled in the pit of his stomach, and he wanted desperately to run away. _Oh no…no, no, no…_

"But…I want us to spend some time apart. Us, I mean. We shouldn't…see each other anymore. I don't want to hurt you anymore than I already have." The words unwillingly left her lips, almost as if she really was breaking up with him. As they swayed uncomfortably, Naruto's thoughts drifted to his most painful memory and him and Sakura, rivaled only by her confession in the Land of Iron.

After Naruto's close call with death during the war, Sakura's confusing emotions ran wild, and allowed them to overtake her actions. Feeling desperate, alone, and frightened for his life, she kissed him in the medical tent. All protocol was thrown out of the window, and Naruto's shock at her gesture overcame his need to question it. They shared their bodies with each other. Both despondent and inexperienced, it was a blur of clumsy, passionate, awkward, wistful sex. As he made love to the girl of his dreams, the girl he had loved as long as he had known her, any doubt of his feelings were quickly abolished. That was, until she screamed Sasuke's name instead. Quickly approaching that brief spasm of pleasure, Sakura uttered the Uchiha's name instead of his. It pierced his ears like a knife; the world stopped turning for this wild, abrupt moment. She had used him. After she had pretended he was Sasuke, their friendship was torn asunder. His heart was fractured in a way it had never been before. After the incident, the awkwardness between them was palpable. He vowed to never speak of it again, in a vain effort to salvage what remained of their tattered relationship, but it was never quite the same. They both knew it lingered in their minds whenever they saw each other.

He coldly scoffed, "Too late for that," and dropped his hands to his side. Sakura did the same, and stared at him, doe-eyed. "Naruto, I'm sorry, really I am. But I love Sasuke-kun. We're married now. I don't want to cause you anymore pain. I care for you too, you know…"

He let out a bitter laugh. Jealousy gripped his heart like a vice, entrapping his heartache and molding it into something dark and ugly. For once in his selfless life, he felt like embracing the narcissism and making her see _. This was a long time coming._ "Yeah, right. You've never cared about me, have you? I was just your tool to get Sasuke. Or, did you care about me when you begged me to bring him back to you? Or when you used my feelings against me in the Land of Iron to deal with him yourself? Or, how about when you practically leapt straight into his arms when I finally brought him—"The palm that struck his cheek was to be expected. He didn't even flinch when she slapped him. Her eyes were filled with tears and her bottom lip quivered. "How…how can you e-even say that? Of course I care. You're…you're just jealous," she accused."Of course I am! I'm jealous, because for some fucking reason, I'm in love with you, and I'm jealous that you've married a guy who hasn't ever deserved you." He glared into her widening eyes. She'd always known he was in love with her, but hearing such a stern admission came as quite a shock. She quickly returned to her jaded expression."Naruto, stop being an idiot," she chided, hiding the begging in her tone. "So that night, after the war, that meant nothing to you?" he whispered, gripping her arm inquisitively. She turned her head away to avoid his gaze, flustered by the memory. _Oh no…_ "Of course it didn't. You just used me once again," he growled, releasing her arm, "But I still loved you. Even when you said his name, I still loved you."

"T-that was a one-time thing! Neither of us were thinking! It was a mistake!"

"You know what's a mistake? You marrying Sasuke! He's only marrying you to have kids, you know."

"Bullshit," she curtly blurted, animosity rattling her delicate voice. "He loves me."

"He doesn't love you, he just wants to revive his clan. He wants you so you can give birth to the next dozen of Uchiha brats, so they'll be strong and healthy and awaken their sharingan early and create another mess for this village."

He glared at her, reveling momentarily at the way she crumbled in front of him. The tears rolled down her cheeks with the force of a river. "And look at me now," he sighed. "I made you cry on your fucking wedding day! Another mistake of mine to add to the list. Ah, well, name one of the kids after me, ne? Goodbye, Sakura-ch…san." Replaying the conversation over again in his head, he turned his back to her and shuffled away. It was just as painful as it had been all those years ago.


	2. Chapter 2

Sakura meandered through the door of her hotel room, grains of sand flaking from her skin and falling from her hair. The ruffles of her dress were bogged down by the water that dripped from the edges. Her milky skin was just a shade darker after having soaked up so much of the sun's glow. She had quite enjoyed her time on the beach, despite Sasuke's insistence of staying behind. They now had plenty of time to be together anyway. "Sasuke-kun?" she called, dusting herself off. "Sasuke-ku…" She felt the presence of someone behind her, and quickly spun to see that it was him, a suggestive glare and devilish grin on his face. "Hello, Sakura." She could watch herself in his empty, black eyes, as he roughly placed his hands on her hips. His entire being was encompassed by an overwhelming sense of intimidation. Despite normally having such a lively and emphatic personality, she always seemed to melt in Sasuke's presence nevertheless. Slipping one of his arms behind her, he motioned her backward, guiding her with his prodding until she felt her head _thud_ against the wall. Her face was flush, cheeks pinker than her hair, and found herself too flustered to speak.

It was straight out of her wildest dreams, feeling the weight of his body against her as she backed herself further against the wall. She rested her arms against his chest and turned her head to avoid his gaze. Seizing the opportunity, he dove his face into the crane of her neck, causing her to giggle his name sweetly to herself, and relaxed into the wall behind her. As her eyes roamed the room, she spotted a photo sticking haphazardly out of her bag. The colors were faint and beginning to fade, but even without squinting she recognized it immediately. It was her photo of Team 7; she never went anywhere without it. She thought of Naruto again, and found it difficult to enjoy herself. _I wish I could just talk to him…I can only imagine how he's feeling._ She thought fondly of their time together, and desperately wished to have her friend back. _But why would he say something like that? Something so vicious? It's not like him._ Sasuke'shandscrawled further up her body _. Could he…no, no, no, you're being paranoid._ _There's no way that he…I mean…_ Her hysteria was beginning to get the best of her. _I know it's not true…_ Naruto was the only one who knew this truth about her. In an effort to alleviate her doubts, she decided to bring it up to her husband. "Sasuke-kun," she muttered, seizing up underneath him. "Hold on."

"Is something wrong?"

"N-no, no, I just…I wanted to tell you something before we…uh, y'know."

"What is it?"

"Well, during the war, I worked non-stop in the medical tents."

"Yes, I know that."

"We used a couple of rather…experimental drugs. That, combined with some risky jutsus and techniques, were necessary to save as many shinobi as we could."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Well…soon after, I was informed that long-term exposure to a number of these drugs could cause an array of side effects, and…"

"And?"

"…I'm infertile. I-I can't have children."

"You're what?!" Sasuke growled, forcefully stepping away from her. His hands instantly fell from her body, and his glare hardened. There was an intense, horrible, frightening look in his eye. Sakura was shocked by his reaction, and hastily stammered. "S-Sasuke-kun, I-I know you want children, but I was waiting for the right time to—" In the blink of an eye, she felt his hand brutishly strike her. A large, red imprint stung the soft flesh of her cheek, and she reluctantly lifted her fingers to graze across the mark. _I'm dreaming. I must be dreaming. This isn't real. He didn't just do that. He didn't just hit me._ Shewarily turned her head to face him, and found him leaning against the dresser with his back to her. His grip was forceful enough to turn his knuckles white. Her tears were blinding, sweltering in her eyes. "…Sa—"

"You should have told me this a long time ago, Sakura."

"I…I didn't think it was—"

"Necessary? Important? Worth mentioning? You didn't think your inability to bear children was something I should know?"

Sakura felt herself shrinking into the wall. Her voice became small, akin to a whimper. "I thought…we could work it out when the time came." She slumped to the floor with her face tucked into her arm. Sasuke whipped his head around, and saw his wife in tears. His better judgement knew that it was wrong to hit her, to yell and make her cry. All he could feel in his heart was contempt, as he made his way over to her. "I find it difficult to believe that there's really nothing you can do. You're a medic after all. There should be something you can do to fix it." He watched her sniffle pitifully on the floor, and thought laying a hand on her knee could console her. That is, before he saw the scowl on her face once he did. She shot her head toward him, eyes burning with anguish. "Is that the only reason you married me?!" His hand jerked at her outburst, as he struggled to hide the shock in his face. He felt no need to defend or rebuke himself to her. They stared at each other, not a word between them. "Oh my god…it is, isn't it."

"Sakura, do you honestly—"

"The only reason you married me was so I could have your children."

"You're being—"

"I should have listened to him," she cried, covering her mouth. Sakura shot up from the floor and glanced the room for her bag. The shaking in her legs was desperately trying to tell her to leave. "Listened to who?" Sasuke interrogated as he blocked her way. "Get out of my—" He clasped her arms in his hands, and furiously pressed her back against the wall. His energy was dark and malevolent. "Sasuke, let go of me!"

"To who?"

"Please, I just want—"

"To _who_?!"

"To Naruto!" She shouted, wrangling her arms out of his grip. As she briskly rounded the corner of the bed, Sasuke followed directly behind her, his voice rattling with resentment. "Naruto? You're going to listen to him? That fucking idiot?" Without thinking, Sakura ground her teeth and wildly flung a fist to his chest. "Don't you talk about him like that!" Unfazed by her aggression, he slammed her into the corner, his veiny fingers coiled around her throat. "That moron never has any idea what's he's talking about. All he does is run his mouth, and if you believed him, you're even dumber than I thought." She became uncomfortably short of breath, and fought his grip in any way she could. "You're not going anywhere. Not yet." In one fell swoop, her knee darted into his stomach with monstrous force. The air flew right out of his lungs, as he doubled over in agony. Struggling to catch his breath, Sakura nimbly stepped past him and collected her things in her arms, laying them frantically on the dresser to stuff them inside. She shook her head to keep from crying, focused solely on exiting as quickly as possible. There was no time to mourn the subtle end to her brief marriage. There was no time to mourn the loss of her dear companion's friendship. There was only time to leave.

She grasped the knob of the door, but hesitated to open it. She looked over her shoulder, and glanced at Sasuke behind her. He was beginning to stand, air returning to him, still heaving. The very sight of him disgusted her. Never in a million years did she ever think that she could say that about him. Even though he had tried to kill her before, she had always assumed it was because he was in that dark place that leaving the village had put him in. She had hoped that she, alongside her teammates, were truly precious to him. After the events that transpired before her in mere minutes, she knew now that it wasn't that. His heart was made of darkness. It always would be. "So what," he huffed. "So what…if it's the only reason I married you. This is what you wanted. This is all…you've ever wanted. You made that…perfectly clear over the years." Easing the door open, she whispered, not knowing whether he would hear her, but still needing to be say it nonetheless.

"I would rather die than bring one of your sons into this world."

Finally allowing herself to cry, Sakura tearfully walked away from the boy she once loved.


	3. Chapter 3

It was a sweltering summer evening. A swirl of orange and pink light painted the sky and casted a warm glow across all below it. The taste of salt carried through the air along with the calming breeze of the ocean. Wind whipped wildly through her hair, sending an array of chills down her spine, as Sakura raised herself onto the train steps. Her eyes were fresh with tears, swollen and puffy, keeping her head down as she set down near the most isolated seat.

She cozied up to the smooth wooden paneling, and rested her elbow against the base of the window. Light chatter carried through the car and it helped to drown out the relentless noise in her head. Couples, both old and young, lovingly held onto one another as they found their seats. She watched a young man, hand planted on her belly, guide his pregnant wife to their booth, and helped her ease onto the seat. As he sat she wrapped her arms around his shoulder, nestling into his side. Another elderly couple walked past her with hands intertwined in each other. They only served to remind Sakura that her marriage had lasted all of three days.

It seemed such a distant memory to her now, her brief fight with Sasuke, despite it having happened only a little more than two hours ago. _How am I going to go home and tell everyone it's over? Just like that? Dad's going to have a heart attack. I don't even want to think of what Mom'll say. I just…I was with him a whole year. I can't believe I never knew. I feel so…stupid._ She wished for someone to hug and console her, reassuring her that she wasn't an idiot, that it wasn't her fault, that she would be okay. Exactly what Naruto had meant when she had last spoken to him was made adamantly clear, and she felt the same gnawing ache in her heart that she had before.

In her hand she freely held the folded photo of her old team. The edges were crinkled, and the color was washed with a faint orange tint; the lines of her sensei and teammates faces were muddled, only the base outlines of their features remained. It was still her favorite picture. _We were so young._ Those days were long gone but she thought of them often, remembering her initial joy and dismay over her team assignment and the bonds that she had formed. Each D-Rank mission or training session was tinged with nostalgia, no matter how menial or strenuous the task.

A sad smile found its way to her face as she gazed at Naruto in the picture, scowling with arms crossed, still just a small and rambunctious bundle of energy. She laughed to herself as she thought on every irritating and idiotic thing he used to do, and found herself missing every prank, every scare, and every surprise quite dearly. She remembered sitting in the stands during his chunnin exam fights, cheering loudly, while sitting on the edge of her seat; even when he appeared down for the count, Naruto ceased to give up. Watching the way he carried on through such difficult circumstances with such confidence and vigor had always exhilarated her.

In the two years between when he left and returned from training with Jiraiya he had changed so much; he had become even stronger than he was before, with a new flurry of tricks and techniques up his sleeve, all the while still rattling on about becoming Hokage. He was a force to be reckoned with, surely, but he never lost the tenderness he had for her. Together they were two moving pieces acting as one, and he was always there to encourage her when she needed him to. The nights they spent backpacking from mission to mission, spending entire evenings just looking at the stars and whispering through the dark, sent a whole new wave of sorrow down her back. The look on his face when he would gush about how proud he was of her. The way he never backed down from his promise, even if it meant putting his own life at stake, just to make her as happy as he could. She felt like crying, but was completely out of tears.

As the light from outside disappeared and the boxcar lamps lit up, Sakura thought of that horrible night after the war. Madara ripped Kurama from Naruto without so much as batting an eye. When Gaara finally brought Naruto to her he was already teetering on the brink between life and death, while she used all of her focus and energy to bring him back. Her own heart was fluttering with fear. If she lost Naruto, what did she have? Seeing him taken down in such a swift movement was incredibly traumatic. When he was finally revived Sakura was overwhelmed with emotion, feeling everything all at once as they continued to fight. She couldn't help herself once they were alone. She never wanted to leave his side again, as he had never left hers, and she yearned to be as close to him as she physically could.

It was no longer enough for her to simply be his friend. She had realized her confession to him previously wasn't completely untrue, it was almost as if she was subconsciously trying to accept that she loved Naruto herself. Her skin tingled as she memorized the way his fingers caressed her, how he laid his head against her chest. Neither of them knew what they were doing, but it came as naturally, as clumsily, and as passionately as it possibly could have. Until she said Sasuke's name. It slipped out without her even knowing it until she saw Naruto's face. The mix of shock, horror, and sadness on his face was one she never intended on revisiting. Balling her fist tightly, she pressed her hand to her head. _So stupid! Stupid, stupid, stupid! I don't even know why I did it! Could I be any dumber?! I wish I could take that back._

It was as if someone had cast a spell on her for years of her life that had made her unable to see anyone but Sasuke. He, in all his aloof, uncaring demeanor, had cursed her with the inability to see someone who truly loved her, even though he was directly in front of her. Sasuke had shown her his true colors, and they were quite unpleasant. _What did I see in him? All he did was treat me like garbage._ She stared ahead in the train, counting down the few hours before she would be home. Her eyes fell toward the loving couples holding hands and sitting against each other. She thought of all that Naruto had done for her over the years, and all he had sacrificed to make her as content as he could, and how willing she was to discard all the he felt the moment Sasuke returned. _You know what you have to do now, don't you?_ She stared at the picture once more. _I have to get Naruto back._


	4. Chapter 4

He stumbled drowsily through his apartment door, the toes of his shoes scraping against the concrete. Still inebriated from copious amounts of alcohol he had ingested not an hour prior, the objects in his living room began to blur together. Differentiating between the walls in the dark was hopeless, and he warily stuck his hands slightly in front of himself to get a feel for the layout of his own home. The placid coolness of the wood beneath his feet kept him agile and helped to jolt himself more alert. _Geez, I feel like I'm going to puke… there's no way I can make it to my room_. Sickness set in with every footstep, stomach churning in pain, and he decided on settling for his couch instead. It was only a couple more steps to the side as he relaxed into the soft, airy cushions.

 _Sakura-chan…Sakura-chan…Sakura-chan…_ he mumbled her name in the dark to himself over and over again. It rolled off his tongue as it had millions of times before, and still found himself unable to drop the suffix from her name. _Sakura-chan…Sakura-chan…_ He couldn't get the image of her in her dress out of his mind. Light curls of hair rested on her dainty shoulders, her eyes were clear and bright, every curve of her body accentuated by the fabric of her gown. It was as if she was born to wear that dress. And her smile. She had never looked more beautiful, more overjoyed in her entire life. After watching her suffer for years on end, he wanted nothing more than to revel in her happiness. But he couldn't do it. _She never really was mine, was she?_ His sniffling began to drown out the white noise of his fan. Naruto tried his hardest not to cry, but it was inevitable. The tears burst from his eyes with irreparable force, white-hot with anguish, and he lazily lifted his wrist to wipe them away.

While he sat crying in his empty apartment, the happy newlyweds were departing on their honeymoon. He knew what soon would take place: Sasuke was eager to consummate the marriage and impregnate her, and he knew Sakura was zealous and trusting enough to believe it was because he loved her. The thought of him laying his hands on her made him sick. Knots tied in his stomach and it felt like he was spinning at a hundred miles a minute. He remembered all the times that Sasuke had tried to kill her, nothing but malice in his heart, and his tears only increased. Sasuke's hand around her throat was a particular gruesome memory to recall, and he wanted nothing but for the image to disappear. _That bastard…that fucking piece of scum._ It was foolish of him to have ever considered Sasuke his friend. Memories of his own brushes with death at Sasuke's hand came to mind. The Uchiha had never wanted him for anything other than a rivalry to further his own ambitions of power. He elected to bring him back only because he could never break his promise to Sakura. He loved her; she loved him. But she loved Sasuke more. _I can't do this anymore. She's married. She's out of my life. It's over. I can't keep doing this._ Naruto winced and shut his eyes closed as he fell over onto the arm of the couch. He was surrounded by reminders of his loneliness: the stacks of dirty dishes, the trash strewn on the floor, the piling laundry. The cloth of the couch absorbed his tears, as well as his sorrowful wails, as he let his exhaustion overtake him into sleep.

Bright sunlight seeped through the curtains and striped across Naruto's face. A grimace lined his face as he struggled to avert his face. Having cried himself to sleep, his eyes were crusted shut, swollen and puffy with redness. Every muscle in his body ached. He couldn't hear his own thoughts over the pulsing in his head. He struggled to catch his breath, overwhelmed with how horrible he felt. _Ugh…why did I punish my body like this? I feel like shit._ Naruto reluctantly eased off the couch, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, and he glanced at the ruin his apartment stood in. Sakura had always been around to help him tidy his house as she hated the idea of him living in so much clutter. Without her help he had turned into somewhat of a slob. He agonized over how he would get on in her absence. Thinking quietly to himself, he let out forlorn sigh. _I need some fresh air._

The sun was high in the sky during the afternoon, beaming brightly on the village. Citizens went about their usual business happily. Naruto no longer bumbled through everyone laughing loudly; he kept to the side of the path and lowered his head. He would have preferred to see, or be seen, by anyone he knew. The only thing he focused on were his feet. Watching them go back and forth, back and forth, like a routine machine. Each click of his heel on the ground anticipated. Although it was brief and unsubstantial, this bit of stability calmed him. The force of his shoulder colliding against a stranger jolted him out of it.

"Sorry."

"It's okay… wait, Naruto?"

He looked up to see none other than Ino Yamanaka gleaming at him.

"Oh, hey Ino."

"Geez, Naruto, you look terrible."

Naruto scoffed sarcastically, "Thanks, Ino. That's exactly what I wanted to hear from you."

"Oh, you know what I meant."

She gave him a sympathetic squeeze on the arm.

"You must have went home and beat yourself up pretty bad then, huh?"

Naruto stayed silent, avoiding her imposing glance.

"I noticed how hurt you looked during the wedding. Especially during that toast. That couldn't have been easy for you."

He didn't particularly feel like opening up to anyone, especially to Sakura's best friend of all people. Naruto continued to stay silent, kicking the dirt below him.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm…I'm fine. Really."

"That doesn't sound very convincing, y'know."

Naruto shrugged.

"You can trust me, Naruto. I'm not going to blab to Forehead if that's what you're concerned about."

"…"

"Hey, how's your appetite?"

"Huh?"

"Are you hungry?"

"Oh, it's fine, I'm—"

"C'mon. Let me take you to Ichiraku's. My treat."

"…Okay. Thanks."

…

"Naruto, it's not like you to not devour your bowl immediately."

"I'm just not that hungry, I guess."

Ino propped her elbow on the table, laying her head on her hand. She watched as he continued to watch the steam of his bowl. He hadn't even broken his chopsticks yet.

"Naruto, were you and Sakura ever even close like that? Like, did you ever actually think that you took could have ended up together?"

"I thought so. I really did. Sakura-chan and I…well, we had a very…intimate…relationship."

"How so?"

He sighed as his mind raced. _Should I tell her? Ino, of all people? I guess I have no choice now._

"We…we had sex."

Ino nearly choked on her noodles and coughed to catch her breath. "You _what_?!"

"It was right after the war. After I almost died. I guess she thought she wanted to be more than friends, but…"

He watched as Ino ducked her head even further in his direction, ears peaked in interest, as she waited for him to continue.

"…Never mind, I don't really think I should tell you."

"Naruto," Ino began, laying a hand on his, "You can trust me. And I really think you should talk this through."

"Well, when we…you know, finished…she called Sasuke's name."

"She called _his_ name?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Geez…I had no idea, Naruto. That's terrible."

Naruto absentmindedly stirred his pork in the broth, losing his appetite with each word he confessed to Ino. Remembering the heartache was a little more than he could bear. He watched her face contort into a sad, pitiful frown. She thought to herself, _I didn't think Sakura had it in her to do that to someone._

"I know I'm Forehead's friend and all, but if it's any consolation, what she did was wrong. She shouldn't have used you like that."

Naruto hardened his expression and looked at the girl before him. He had never been particularly close to her before, and they hadn't even really spent an extended amount of time together before. But it was like a weight was lifted off his shoulders to have his pain validated by someone. It was as if his suffering was finally being acknowledged. He squeezed her hand and nodded. "Thank you, Ino. That means a lot." Ino smiled warmly. "Y'know, I think you should forget about her now. What else do you want to talk about?"

The two blondes sat inside Ichiraku well after they had finished their bowls, snickering and gesturing wildly at their table. To Naruto's surprise, he found got along with Ino quite well. She had the same fiery personality he did, as well being attentive and charming to boot. She even threw in a couple stories of her own. He wondered how it was that they seemed to only butt heads in the past, and now considered her a good friend within a matter of hours. Coming down from their current laughing fit, Naruto leaned in closer over the table. "Ino, I've had a lot of fun with you this afternoon."

"I have too, Naruto! I'm kind of shocked to be honest."

"Want to do it again sometime? Maybe Saturday night if you're free."

Ino gaped in awe, fluttering her eyelashes. "Naruto Uzumaki, are you asking me on a date?" He nonchalantly shrugged, but with an air of confidence. "Call it what you like," he smiled. She pressed a finger to her lips and thought on it. Of course she would; she was practically waiting for him to ask. But she didn't want him to know that. "Saturday night, eh? Why not. Sounds like fun." The two gazed at each other across the table, and for the first time in months, Naruto felt happy. His heart was as light as a feather.

 _Maybe things are looking up for me_.


	5. Chapter 5

She stood outside and leaned against the wall. The shade provided nice relief from the scorching sun. It was just around noon, and she nervously bounced her leg. Her house was nearby, and she was getting closer each road she walked down. She agonized over and over about how best to break the bad news to her parents. _Maybe I should just…not tell them. Not now, but maybe…ugh, no._ She glanced from beneath her bangs at the people sipping and calmly chatting outside the teahouse a couple buildings down. She spotted a man smoking a cigarette, and although she never smoked, she desperately wanted one. _Maybe I'll just tell them in a couple days. Yeah…yeah, I'll wait a day or two. I just need to get home._ She kicked off the wall, and clutched her bag tighter against her side. Taking a deep breath she rounded the corner. That feeling captivated her heart again; that horrible, shameful burn that gripped at her throat and plummeted all the way to her stomach. There was no end to her discomfort. Distracted, and not seeing through her bangs, Sakura clumsily collided into a much sturdier woman.

"Hey! What d…wait, Sakura? Is that you?"

The familiar voice rattled her, and her head shot up. Her heart was ready to explode straight out of her chest, and she felt herself growing redder and redder by the second. Of all the people to bump into, her mother and father, both shackled to shopping bags, were the last two people she wanted to see. "Sakura? What are you doing here?" her father questioned. She continued to stare doe-eyed at her parents. The words bobbed up and down in her throat, unable to escape passed her tightly pressed lips. "Aren't you supposed to be on your honeymoon?" Her pupils rapidly bounced back and forth between her mother and father. _Say something, you moron! They're looking right at you!_ Mebuki laid her bags on the ground while her father used his hand to shield his eyes as he looked behind her. Her mother began to press her. "And where is Sasuke? Why isn't he with you?" The intensity of her parent's insistence only continued to break her. She felt that same horrible, dooming feeling overtake her as her face contorted into a malcontented grimace. As he father continued to scan the area for Sasuke, her mother seriously gripped her daughter's arm. "Sakura, what's the matter with you?" All at once, she felt herself crumble into her mother's arms, startling her immensely. Burying herself into her mother's bosom, Sakura stifled her tears and struggled to regain her composure. Kizashi crowded around in a panic, immensely confused and frightened by his daughter's outburst. "Sakura, my sweet flower, what's the matter?!" Wiping her tears against her mother's shirt, she slowly began to peer her head upward. "Can…can I talk to you two…at home?"

…

A steaming cup of tea sat in front of her and she clasped her fingers around it tightly, letting the warmth soothe her rattled nerves. Her parents sat sympathetically, yet somewhat sternly, across from her at the table. They waited expectantly for her to begin talking. Her leg bounced nervously against the leg of her chair as she struggled to find the words to say. "Sakura," her mother began, "I need you to tell me what's wrong."

"Yes, Sakura, what was all that about?"

"We want to help you, honey."

"You know your mother and I love you so much."

"No matter what."

"Yes, no matter what!"

"You can—"

Sakura slammed her hand against the table in annoyance. "Yes, I know! I know I can tell you anything! Can you just give me two seconds, please?! This isn't easy to say." Her parents both leaned back in their chairs and exchanged looks of surprise. They watched her continue to bounce her leg and twiddle her fingers. "Oh, honey, every couple has their fights. It can be very difficult in the beginning, but that's no reason to get so worked up by—"

"There is no marriage. Not anymore."

"W…What on earth do you mean?"

Mebuki and Kizashi leaned even further over the table. Sakura began to feel closed in by her parents' concern. "I'm having the marriage annulled by Tsunade-sama."

"What?!" Mebuki exclaimed as she shot up from her chair and ambled toward Sakura. "Sweetheart, what in the world happened?! You two have been together so long!" Kizashi sat wide-eyed and gape-mouthed at his daughter. _All that money for that wedding…and she's already getting divorced? You have got to be kidding me._ Her mother cradled her head in a dramatic fashion as Sakura struggled to withdraw from her embrace. "I just…I can't be married to Sasuke-ku…Sasuke. I can't." Kizashi tapped his fingers against the table as he stared passed his daughter. "There's thousands of Ryo I'm never going to see again."

"Kizashi! This is no time for jokes!"

"Who said I was joking," he huffed, blowing a piece of hair from his face.

Mebuki grimaced as she directed her attention back towards Sakura. "Why are you getting divorced? You were so happy on your wedding? What could have possibly happened in three, four days?"

"Sasuke…he…"

"He what?"

"He only wanted me to have his children. He just wanted me to get me pregnant."

Her parents recoiled in shock. They had seen him come around often in the year before they were married. Although he had never struck them as a very affectionate person, neither of them thought he was only superficially interested in their daughter. Her mother lowered herself into the empty chair at Sakura's side, laying a sympathetic hand on her arm as she blinked away her lingering tears. "Naruto warned me. He told me all of this that day and I didn't believe him." Her voice trailed off as she remembered all his kindness, and how coldly she had dismissed him on that day. Any other time, he would be the one at her side offering a loving ear and tender hand, but no longer. Just her overbearing parents. "I'll kill him!" Kizashi exhaled, slamming a fist into the table, causing upset tea to jolt from their mugs and splash to the floor. "Dad, please, no. I don't need you to fight my battles. I'm a grown woman, I can handle my own business. I just wanted you two to know."

"How did Naruto know?"

"I think he just had his suspicions." She shoved her face again into her hands. "I should have listened to him. He's always right, he wouldn't say something like that if he didn't have a reason." She lingered in her hands for a couple seconds more. The darkness was comforting. No one looking at her, parents included. No one expecting anything of her. No one to give difficult answers to. She wished to crawl into the darkness and hide. She stood abruptly, gathering herself and heading for the door. "I'm sorry to have to tell you this. I really am. But I have to go see Tsunade-sama now. I'll come by later, if that's all right with you two."

"You're always welcome home, honey."

"Thank you. Now, I have some things I have to make right."

…

Leaves rustled against the window of Tsunade's office as she lazily swiveled in her chair. She had yet to read over the contract that had been sent to her by the Land of Waves and had little interest in motivating herself to do so. The past couple of days had seen nothing but constant stacks of papers, as well as Shizune's constant nagging. She decided to revel in this brief moment of peace before she returned to her dulling work. A tiny knock at the door interrupted her. Sighing at the thought of another delivery of treaties and requests, she hesitated for a moment, still gazing at the leaves. "Come in," she groaned, back facing the door. Quiet footsteps eased into her office. The lack of confrontation surprised her, and Tsunade turned to face the figure standing at her desk. She was surprised to see Sakura, normally emphatically bold, standing small and meek in front of her mentor. "Tsunade-sama," she mumbled, "I need to speak with you."

"Sakura? I thought you left for your honeymoon?"

"I did."

"Well, what are you doing here then?"

She noticed the tears glistening in the corners of her eyes and dripping to the floor, and she cautiously stood up. "Sakura," she urged. She nimbly stepped to her side and delicately laid a hand on her back, guiding her to sit in her chair. "What happened?" As Sakura held in her tears, she let out a forlorn sigh. "I thought he loved me," she murmured, dragging her wrist across her eyes. "Naruto tried to warn me…but I didn't listen." Tsunade's head bowed curiously. "…About Sasuke?"

"Yes."

"What did Naruto warn you about? Sakura, I still don't understand what happened."

Sakura fiddled with her fingers as she recalled how quickly things had transpired between them. "Sasuke…he…he only married me…" Sakura choked on her words and hid her eyes behind her hands. _Just breathe_ she thought _just breathe and tell her_. "He… he only married me to have children. He never loved me. He just wanted to use me to…to revive his clan." She felt sick again. Tsunade glibly scoffed; her Senju sensibilities immediately boiled inside her. "Can't trust an Uchiha," she muttered under her breath. Realizing that this may not have been the most appropriate thing to say, she quickly eased over to her apprentice and laid her hands delicately on Sakura's shoulders. "I'm so sorry Sakura, that was unseemly of—"

"I need your help."

Tsunade paused at her abruptness. "...What can I do?"

"Well, first I'd like to have the marriage annulled."

"…You and him didn't—"

"No. No, we didn't."

She nodded her head. "Well, all right then. You'll need to fill out some paperwork to contest it, but it's relatively simple. I'll give you what you need before you leave."

"Thank you. I have one more favor to ask."

"And that is?"

"I want you to put us on a mission. An S-Rank mission. Just Kakashi-sensei, Naruto and I."

"For what purpose?"

"I'd rather not discuss it right now."

"Does it have something to do with Naruto?"

Sakura bashfully turned her head away, inadvertently revealing the truth to Tsunade. Her mentor let out an exasperated sigh. "You've become more like me than I may have liked. You two are a lot like… like me and Jiraiya." Tsunade bit her lip and thought inquisitively of the open missions she had left. Lately she had been behind in her assignments, but most of them were merely C or B rank missions. She pivoted towards her desk and quickly rummaged through her drawers. "I have one," she mumbled, losing track of her thoughts, "That I have been saving for…a couple weeks now, as I haven't had a squad… with the time—there it is—to take care of it." She removed the folder from beneath a pile of haphazardly stacked papers, and plopped it into Sakura's lap. "One S-Rank mission. You can skim through the details now, if you'd like. Or you can wait until I formally call Team 7 in my office for the assignment. It's up to you."

"I think I'll wait. But thank you Tsunade-sama. This means a great deal to me."

"Whatever you need Sakura. Oh," she quipped, rummaging again through her drawer. "Here are annulment forms. Don't want to forget those, eh?"

Sakura graciously extended her hand to take the papers as she rose from her chair. Tsunade gazed at her downtrodden pupil. She had never seen her so utterly defeated before, although there was little she herself could do herself to fix it. "Sakura," she cooed, "Please don't make the mistake I did by swearing off love. He loves you. And no one else is going to love that knucklehead like you." Sakura was fresh out of tears but her heart was touched by Tsunade's words. Her hands wrapped around her mentor and she brought her in for a tender, albeit aggressive, hug. "Thank you, Tsunade-sama." Tsunade laughed as she softly patted her back. "All right now… try to relax for a day or two. It's all going to be okay." Sakura nodded as Tsunade rounded back toward her desk. "I'd love to chat more, but I really have some work that needs my attention. I'll see you when I call Team 7 in for the mission. Good luck, Sakura." She nodded in respect as she made her way to the exit. She quietly closed the door to Tsunade's office, and although she still felt that small ball of despair in the pit of her stomach, it was unraveled by the slightest twinge of hope.


	6. Chapter 6

Sakura sat in the garden of her parents' home soaking in the delicate sunlight in the early morning hours. The wind rustled the chimes above the back door. She had traded in her usual street clothes for nothing more than a loose camisole and a pair of old, faded shorts. The cool wind grazed her skin as she reclined further in her chair. All night she had been up filling through the many and various forms needed to finalize her marriage annulment as she listened to her parents argue back and forth for what seemed like hours about whose fault it was for allowing her to go through with the marriage. It had been tedious and slightly painful, even more so with her mother continually popping into the kitchen and peering over her shoulder, but it was finally done. It had been tedious and slightly painful, even more so with her mother continually peering over her shoulder, but it was finally done. She set it out of her mind to focus on carving out this single moment in the day wherein she could forget that past couple of days and simply relax. It was working well for some time before her thoughts ran wild again. I can't wait she thought. I have to see him now. She tapped her fingers against the arm of her chair, debating whether or not this was a good idea. _No, I should leave him be for now._ Her loneliness still lingered, and she thought of who she could drop by to see for a lighthearted chat. _I could go see Ino, though._ She collected herself from the chair and tiptoed quietly passed the glass door to get dressed.

Only a person or two came in and out of the door to the flower shop. This was usually a busy day of the week from them, but apparently business had slowed in the past months. Through the window she could see her friend staring boringly at the pages of a magazine, flipping with disinterest as she smacked bubblegum at the counter. "Ino!" Alerted at the sound of her name, Ino hastily looked up from her magazine and saw her friend politely waving to her as she entered through the door. "…Sakura?" She straightened her back, lazily lifting up from the edge of the counter, and stared inquisitively at Sakura as she happily bumbled past the many displays of flowers to greet her at the counter. Sakura's smile began to dim as Ino continued to look at her with a curious irritation. "What?" Sakura questioned.

"What do you mean 'what'? You just left for your honeymoon like, what, three days ago? What are you doing back here already?" Sakura let out a slight sigh, now past the initial devastation the question brought up. "It's a bit of a long story." Sarcastically folding her arms, Ino smirked as she leaned against the back wall. "As you can see, I've got the time."

"Perfect," Sakura smiled. "Can I take you to lunch?"

…

At the café they sat sipping coffee easing into conversation.

"I'm having the marriage annulled."

Ino nearly choked on her coffee, and stammered, "What?!" in between forceful coughs. Sakura slid her a napkin from across the table to dab her mouth. "I'm having the marriage annulled."

"But you two literally just got married! Like, _literally_ a couple days ago! What happened?"

As Ino wiped the drips of coffee from the corners of her mouth, Sakura nervously folded her hands and tapped her thumbs against the table. "You know, Sasuke and I never were right for each other. But I couldn't see that until…well, until after I married him." Sakura bowed her head shyly as she searched for the words to convey the actual finality of their relationship without directly saying why. It was still vastly uncomfortable for her, even when divulging the information to her best friend. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she caught Ino's attentive glance. "It's a little hard to tell you right now. I feel like a total moron. But, suffice it to say, Sasuke…he never loved me. And I don't love him. And I have to move on." Comforted by the warm steam of her coffee cup, Sakura felt a pair of soft hands pat the top of hers. "Sakura," Ino sighed, "I'm really sorry. I thought you two were…y'know, finally _happy_ together. Whenever you want to tell me the details, you know you can."

"Thanks, Ino." As she retracted her hands. "I just wished I had listened to Naruto."

"Naruto?"

"Yes. He tried to warn me on my wedding day but…I didn't listen to him. We got in a fight and, well, he stormed off. I haven't seen him since then."

Ino's face burst with blankness as the sudden realization hit her. _That must have been why he was so bummed when I first saw him. Huh._ "Ino?"

"Huh?"

"Are you all right?"

"Y-Yeah, fine…why?"

"Oh, nothing, it's just you made kind of a strange face when I told you about Naruto."

"Oh, did I? Never mind that, what were you saying?"

Sakura leaned in closer over the table, cupping her coffee cup in her hands as her voice perked with excitement. "I wanted to tell you."

Her friend reciprocated her movements, moving in and hushing her tone. "Tell me what?" Sakura bashfully began, flustered by her own thoughts. "I…I don't know why it took me so long to see what was always…right there in front of me. I was just so enamored with Sasuke that I just…didn't see much else. It was like nothing else existed but him. So I never really noticed all the small but grand gestures before me. I really wish it hadn't taken me so long to understand this, but…I need to prove to him that I care about him. And I worry about him. And I miss him. And well…that I, you know… _love him_."

Ino sarcastically rolled her eyes, acting as if she was thinking. Sakura's gushy speech went straight over her head. "Geez, who are you talking about, Sakura?" Sakura playfully tsked as she shyly shrugged. It wasn't like Ino to be willfully oblivious.

"I'm talking about _Naruto!_ "

Ino abruptly withdrew from the table and, in half-feigned, half-real shock, dramatically placed a hand over her heart. Sakura continued. "I'm going to prove to him that I can be there for him like he has for me." Ino snickered and coyly shook her head. Sakura immediately became defensive.

"What? What's so funny?"

"It's just…why are you always competing with me for the same guy, Sakura?"

"Wha…What are you even talking about?"

"First Sasuke, now Naruto—"

"Wait, What?!"

Ino glared unbothered at Sakura whose eyes were wide with shock, brow crinkled in an expression of confusion and surprise. "Well, when you left for you honeymoon, Naruto was a damn wreck. I bumped into him in town the morning after. We got to talking, I took him out to lunch. We had a very nice time. And we're going out again tonight." Sakura stammered, surprised by both her friend's confession and her sudden attitude. Ino smugly smirked.

"I'm not going to lose to you again, Sakura."

"This isn't a competition for me, Ino!"

"When have you even liked Naruto?"

"When have you?!"

"Dammit Sakura," Ino exclaimed, quickly catching herself. Her voice lowered to a dulled growl. "He's not just some puppy who's going to keep following you around! He can't wait on your every whim or change of heart!"

Sakura pulled back from the table, her back stiffened by Ino's harsh words. Ino sternly glanced from side to side to avoid not noticing any strangers attempting to latch onto their not-so-private conversation. "And without getting into all the sordid details, he told me about you two's past…indiscretions. After the war?"

The very mention of the war spiked Sakura's nerves, and she felt her whole body nervously twitch. _Oh my…why would he tell her that! Oh, no, why would he tell anyone that?!_

"You should know better than I do that deep down he's so lonely. And sensitive. He's so used to being written off but he still cares so much. He cares about you the most. You have to know that, don't you? That forehead of yours isn't so dense you can't comprehend that?"

Sakura felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment. She lightly held her fingers to her forehead and parted strands of hair over her face. It had been so long since she'd seen Ino's temper flare up, she had forgotten how truly unruly she could become. Days of their rivalry as genin flashed raced through her mind. Ino only rolled her eyes.

"He's not a ragdoll you can keep tossing around and prodding and poking when you feel like it. It's tearing him apart."

The emphasis on her last sentence felt like a knife to her throat. Sakura swallowed hard and stared uneasily at her friend. "Ino…I—"

"Look. If you really care about him, you'll leave him be. You'll let him move on. You'll give him his space. He deserves his own happiness, y'know."

For a brief moment the two women sat at the table, unnervingly still. Neither looked at the other as they sat reflectively. It was as if they were each in their own world. A million thought raced through Sakura's head as she processed the mouthful her friend had given. Breaking their awkward silence, Ino dug in her pocket for space change and laid it flatly on the table.

"I have to go. I'll see you around, Sakura."

Ino gathered herself from the table with a flourish, and coolly strolled away. Alone at the table, Sakura sat, gape-mouthed and anxious. After all this time, she never imagined that Naruto may have fallen for Ino, of all people. It was simply a thought her brain refused to process, a horrible and twisted paradox that was never even theoretically possible. Her eyes began to twinge, sensing the burning sensation of another batch of scathing tears. She dropped her chin to the upright palm of her hand and covered her eyes with the other. It was as if the energy had been drained from her once again, and she no longer had the energy, or the desire, to find a private place to cry. She let a few rogue tears escape the corners of her eyelids before she slowly lowered her head to the table, resting between her folded arms. _Stop crying…stop fucking crying! You're in public for heaven's sake!_ No matter how harshly she demanded it of herself, she couldn't stop herself from weeping. It came like the bursting a floodgates: violently, and all at once. Doing her best to stifle her body's shaking and heaving, she tried to disregard the stares of an odd person or two that was surely looking at her. Her desperation often got the best of her, but there was no time more inconvenient than now, as she wiped her tears along the inside of her sleeve. Though she had only erupted for a minute or so, her eyes and nose were red and puffy as if she had been crying all day and night. She was slow to rise from her chair, delicately arching her head to avoid the certain, uncomfortable glares from other café patrons. Unfortunately, she caught the disapprovingly glance of an older couple. The lady grimaced in sympathy while the older gentleman merely shook his head. I need to get out of here. As she began to rush off, she realized she hadn't paid yet, and quickly stashed an excessive yet suitable amount of bills into a confused waitress' hands.

…

She sat on top of the mountain away from the quiet evening buzz of the village. The clouds above her began to dissipate, and the soft glow of stars filled the night sky. Sakura sighed and directed her gaze back down towards the streetlights that sat outside. She couldn't think of anything other than Naruto walking the street arm-in-arm with Ino. She imagined the flirtatious way that Ino would grip onto his arm, lean her head against his shoulder, and laugh at his jokes even if they weren't funny. It drove her mad. Of all the people to make Naruto feel special, she never thought it would be her best friend. Of course, Sakura never thought she herself could be the one to make Naruto feel special, and that was what was always peculiar about Naruto; the most indiscriminate of all people were the ones to make him feel loved. The very thought broke her already delicate heart. Although she wanted to cry, she was fresh out of tears as well as the energy. Feeling defeated, she flopped back down onto the gritty slanted rock of the mountain. She found no solace in the night sky. _What if the kindest thing to do…is to let him go?_ The thought invaded her head without warning or invitation. But she struggled to disagree. _What if he really is happy with Ino? Why should I interfere?_ Her ankle bounced anxiously off her bent knee. _No… Naruto never gives up, especially on those he loves. That's his ninja way, he's always dumbly yelling about it to someone._ She craned her neck to the side to get a last glimpse of the village. _Then that shall be my ninja way too. I won't go back on my word._


	7. Chapter 7

Her feet hit the pavement with an ever-increasing amount of force. Her hair flew behind her erratically as she rushed toward the Hokage's tower, as a burning sensation spread through her chest. _I can't believe I'm late! Of all the days!_

Standing attentively at her desk, Kakashi and Naruto patiently waited for Tsunade to begin speaking. For the last ten minutes, she had sat at her desk with her chin in her palm, her other hand resting impatiently at the edge of her desk. Her fingers tapped relentlessly as her forehead wrinkled with irritation. "Um…Tsunade-sama?" Naruto questioned, inching his feet toward her. Quickly her finger shot up in the air and quickly silenced him. He drew back and retained his place next to his sensei.

Preceded by a loud crash in the hallway as well as an apologetic cry of _"Sorry!",_ Sakura rushed through the door, doubled over, breathing heavily as she waved a hand to Tsunade. "Ts…Tsunade-sama…I'm so…I'm so sorry I'm…I'm late." Both Naruto and Kakashi turned around, surprised first and foremost to see Sakura at all, her hands on her knees as she gasped for air. Tsunade merely grumbled at her desk. _This is already off to a rocky start_ she thought _. If I'd known this was a ploy to get Naruto back…ah. She'll be fine. She uses her head. At least, most of the time._ "It's all right, Sakura. Just come forward." Naruto, in both shock and dismay, unfolded his arms. "What's she doing here?" Though she had expected some resistance from Naruto, his words hurt nonetheless.

"I called in Team 7, didn't I?"

"But then where's Sasuke?"

"Never mind that."

Scowling beneath his breath, Naruto folded his arms with a huff. "I can't do this mission if she's coming along. I thought it was just going to be Kakashi-sensei and I."

A ball of dread knotted in Sakura's stomach, and she nervously looked to the floor. Not knowing what else to do, she held her hands in front of her and kept quiet. Tsunade, sarcastic and stoic, emphatically splayed her hands on her desk. "And why not? Is she not your teammate, Naruto?"

"She may as well not be."

"Like it or not, she is your comrade, your partner, and you will—"

Naruto angrily turned on his heel and made his way for the door. "I can't take this mission, granny. You can find someone else to—"

Tsunade shot up from her desk with a flare and slammed her palms on the desk. "Look, you little brat! Get your ass back here!"

"Being a ninja doesn't mean you can pick and choose what mission you take! Every mission is essential to the safety and protection of our village, and when I assign you a mission, you _will_ do it, do you understand me?!"

Naruto stopped with his back to her, but felt her raised voice creep up his back. Halting on his heel, his hand was outreached toward the door. As he debated whether or not to leave, he bit his bottom lip. In agitation, he slowly withdrew and turned back around, resuming his spot next to his sensei. "Well, are ya at least going to tell us what we're here for then? Or are ya going to keep us waiting another twenty minutes?"

"Naruto," Kakashi growled. "Knock it off. Be respectful."

"Thank you, Kakashi," she smiled. She calmly lowered back into her chair, and rested her chin on her interlocked fingers. She caustically sneered at Naruto before she began.

"I've noticed a heightened spike in Orochimaru's activities as of late. It's certainly been dwindling in the past months, but there has been an increase in eastern Oto-nin popping up. From what I've had gathered, it is much more inconspicuous than his other lairs, considering it is mostly underground. So I—"

Naruto blurted out to interrupt her. "Why are you only sending us? Wouldn't make more sense to—"

Tsunade held up her hand to stop him, letting out a deep sigh of frustration. "Normally I would send multiple reinforcements, but this particular base is relatively small. My hunch is that this is mostly a base for experimentation, and less for recruitment and training of other rogue ninjas. Still, it's become quite the thorn in my side, I'd like it eradicated as quickly and expeditiously as possible."

Kakashi nodded in understanding and looked to his students. He was surprised to see Sakura back so soon given she was supposed to still be on her honeymoon, and he was still unclear between the falling out between Naruto and Sakura. It was as if his team had collapsed in a matter of days. But Sakura diligently stared at her mentor, perhaps processing the seriousness of their mission. She hadn't looked at Naruto the entire time she had been there. Naruto continued to berate Tsunade with useless questions that served no purpose other than to annoy her. Kakashi held out his arm in front of Naruto to stop him. "We can handle it," he muttered.

"Good. Now get to it."

…

The three of them were only about an hour outside of the village, and the sun rose directly overhead. It the midst of a humid summer, cicadas cried in the trees and hid behind the rustling leaves. Small gusts of wind occasionally blew against their backs as they continued to walk. Sakura had made her way to Naruto's side, although she was extremely conscientious of how close she stood. Every couple of minutes, Naruto would stare at her out of the corners of his eyes. Occasionally she would briefly glance back, causing both of them to look the other way. _She was only gone a couple of days. What in the world is she doing back already?_ Normally their mission travels were filled with a plethora of laughs and playful shoves and conversation. But today he had no interest in talking. Making sure to continue staring straight ahead, Kakashi quipped with concern. "I'd like to remind the both of you that teamwork is essential to any mission. But this one specifically will end disastrously without it." It had little effect. They continued to walk without much talk between them, until Naruto turned toward Kakashi.

"Did I tell you how my date with Ino went?"

"Naruto, don't—"

He happily clapped his hands together preparing to ramble on. "It was great! We went to her favorite restaurant, I can't remember the name of it, but we just spent most of the night talking anyway."

"Naruto…" Kakashi cautiously muttered.

"Afterward we went for a walk around the village, it was nice and quiet. She's so funny, she has a million different stories. And she's so nice and considerate, y'know?"

"Naruto, this really isn't—"

Naruto swiftly turned his head to face Sakura's side. She peered up for only a moment to see a strange smile on his face. Sakura uncomfortably rubbed her arm. It was useless to try and tune out his voice. He looked into her eyes for only a moment before he sadistically began again. "And her apartment is so clean and pretty, and her bedroom is just—"

Sakura shook her head and ducked from his glance. "Please…please, stop talking."

Satisfied with his handiwork, Naruto cruelly pulled back. "Whatever you say, Sakura."

Kakashi attempted to diffuse the situation. "Let's all just stop talking for a while."

…

As nightfall set in, the three of them laid down their bags under a canopy of trees to set up camp. They sat around the campfire, as Naruto poked at it with a loose branch. "Sakura," Kakashi murmured. "I hope you don't mind my asking, but isn't it a little soon for you to already be back?"

"Yeah," Naruto chimed, "Why aren't you with your beloved Sasuke?"

Kakashi first glared at Naruto before looking back to her.

"Well…" Sakura trailed off. "Sasuke and I are…well, were no longer together."

Both Kakashi and Naruto looked at her baffled. "What are you talking about?"

Sakura fiddled with the end of her dress not wanting to look at either of them. Through everything, these were the two of them who knew just how deeply her feelings for Sasuke ran, and she wasn't keen on telling them how suddenly it all had ended. "I'm…I'm having Tsunade-sama annul the marriage."

"What happened?"

She pulled her legs up close against her chest and rested her chin on her knees. Her eyes remained fixated on the flickering flames in front of her, and she let out a deep sigh. "Sasuke didn't care about me…the only thing he cares about is his clan." Naruto let out an involuntary scoff, and smiled as he shook his head. "Can't say I didn't warn you…" She lifted her head from her knees and glared at Naruto. It had all become too much for her; it was so unlike him to revel in the pain of others, to behave so harsh and callous, especially towards her. She felt her blood boil inside her and a pained yelp flew from her lips.

"It's not funny Naruto! What do you even know about it anyway?!"

"I think that I know Sasuke better than you do. I knew this is exactly what he wanted."

"Oh, shut up Naruto!"

"What did you ever even see in him, anyway!"

She bolted upright, nearly tripping over a log as she struggled to withhold the urge to scream. "Naruto, you don't understand! You've never taken the time to understand!"

"Then explain it to me!"

Sakura desperately pressed her balled-up hands to her temples as she struggled to calmly articulate herself. "It was…my forehead."

Naruto scrunched up his face in confusion. He held back the innate urge to laugh. "Your forehead?"

"Yes, you idiot! My big, dumb, ugly forehead!"

Recoiling at the sight of her anger, he allowed her a moment to calm down to speak. She inhaled a panicky breath of air, covering most of her face with her hands.

"I always liked him because he was cool, he was cute. I liked him because all the other girls liked him. Because Ino did too. But that day…when we were actually put on the same team. I was sitting on the bench when he approached me. He made a comment about my forehead, and although he was joking, he made it seem as if it wasn't a big deal. That it wasn't anything to be embarrassed by. And then he let me open up to him about how I felt."

The both of them sat dumbstruck as they stared at her.

"He validated my feelings and made me feel safe. And later he revealed something very personal to me. After that…" Her voice trailed for a moment as she felt the impending, hellish tide of tears welling in her eyes. "All I ever wanted was for him to open up to me like that again."

Halting all their movement, Naruto and Kakashi exchanged brief glances of confusion before looking back at her. Her eyes darted back and forth between the two of them, each concerned about what to say next, only exacerbating her anger. Her face flush with blood, she emphatically gestured as she muttered, "Well?!" under her breath. Naruto let out an incredulous scoff. "Sakura…you don't know?"

"Know what?!" She barked. She towered in front of them on the verge of breaking down. Naruto cautiously chose his words, feeling guilty for how he had treated her earlier. His voice was rife with concern. "That…that never was Sasuke." Sakura irritatingly processed his words, running them through her head in an attempt to decipher its possible meaning. The memory played over in her head a million times. "Of…of course it was!" She bemoaned, "Of course it was!" She stared back at him as a feeling of despair welled up in her chest. She wasn't used to being this unsure of herself for so long. Though previously hardened and stiff, Naruto softened his expression. "Sakura, that was me. I was playing a prank on Sasuke."

Her heart dropped in her chest, and her breath ran short. That same dreadful knot from before twisted and tied her stomach. Her hands lowered to her side; she felt herself becoming smaller and smaller by the second, no longer a ferocious, impassioned beast. She felt as tiny as a grain of sand.

"But if that wasn't him, then…"

"I was the one who said that to you."

It was as if her world had imploded in on itself like a dying star. Her feelings for Sasuke were so concrete, so real, it seemed almost impossible that they weren't for him. She had never known that it wasn't really him, as they had never spoken about it after. Every day after that her feelings for him grew stronger, stemming from those few brief moments they shared on the bench. All along her love had been misplaced.

Quietly, Sakura resumed her spot on the log opposite of them. Her eyes were hauntingly obsessed with the fire, the crackling of the wood and ashes that danced inside the acrid plumes of smoke. Breath after breath became shorter and shorter as she hugged her knees back to her chest. "I think it's time to get some rest," Kakashi suggested. With his eyes glued to her, Naruto stood from the log. He couldn't decipher her feelings from her stoic expression. It was as if she was someone he couldn't recognize. He looked down to his feet before turning to retreat beneath the trees to an empty tent. Kakashi stood silent for only another minute. "Sakura?" he inquired. She momentarily looked up to her sensei, but only for a second. She continued to direct her attention to the fire. In his heart, he knew there was nothing he could do. Understanding full-well the intensity of her feelings, he spoke in a hushed tone before walking away. "I'll leave you be."

The next morning they awoke to find her, eyes red and dry, staring blankly at the ashes of the fire.


	8. Chapter 8

"Time to wake up, Naruto."

The sound of a hand flagrantly hitting the side of the tent stirred Naruto awake, causing him to recoil at the blinding light that leaked through the open flaps. He watched as his sensei lingered outside, and though he desperately wished to dive back into his sleeping bag and slip back into his sleep, he lazily rose to sit up as he searched for his clothes. He was fixated by the way the sparse bits of light reflected off the dust particles in the air, watching them carefully descend around him.

"Sometime today would be nice," he heard Kakashi mutter under his breath. Rolling his eyes, Naruto exhaled deeply as he slipped his shirt over his head. The night before he had been too tired to even change and merely needed to strap into his shoes. Taking one final breath before his long day began, he finally hopped to his feet and poked his head out. "Good morning, Kakashi-sensei."

"Good morning. You wouldn't have happened to see Sakura, would you? I stopped by her tent first and she wasn't there." Although the mere sound of her name still stung, he hid his discomfort and coolly detached himself from the question. "No," he glibly said, "I haven't."

"Well, come with me then. Let's check by the campfire first."

The two of them bounded though a particularly large thicket of trees back toward the campfire, and found Sakura deathly still. She was in the same position she was last night; her knees we pressed tightly against her chest, her chin resting in between them, with her arms locking them in place. Though there were only blackened ashes surrounded by a circle of stones, her eyes were stuck watching in the same place where the flames had flickered in the air the night before. Every muscle was tight and still, almost as if she had been carved out of marble. It wasn't even apparent if she was breathing. The two of them quietly stood, not wanting, and not knowing, just what to do next. Kakashi stepped forward over a log into her field of vision.

"Sakura, have you slept?"

"I'm fine."

"But you can't possibly—"

"I'm fine," she muttered, tilting her head just enough to make eye contact. She flashed him a quick, inflated smiled, but behind her eyes was nothing. "Let's just get going."

Although she suggested leaving, she was unable to get up and move. Her body's resistance and exhaustion kept her put, and she continued to sit in front of the fire. Kakashi worriedly looked to Sakura, and then to Naruto, and noticed he refused even to look at her. He kicked a rock with the toe of his sandal in order to avoid having to even glance in her direction. _I can't believe this. In a matter of days, my team has disintegrated_. Kakashi let out a loud sigh. _I miss when they were harmless little genin._ "Naruto, why don't you go look for something to eat? We'll handle packing up here."

Without speaking, Naruto nodded in affirmation and headed back behind them into the woods. Now alone, Kakashi elected to give Sakura one more minute; if in one minute, she didn't get up, dust herself off, and spring back into her normally cheery self, he knew he would have to do something. But it was evident that she would have sat there for the rest of her life is she felt so inclined to. Kakashi sauntered in her direction and laid a sympathetic hand on her shoulder. He warmly gave her a light squeeze and listened to the wilderness around them; a murder of crows flew above their heads, cawing madly as they nested into the canopy of the trees and disappeared.

"Kakashi-sensei…" Sakura quietly mumbled. Her voice was small and feeble, much like when she was a child and hid herself from the world, and at this moment she felt very much like doing the same. Kakashi tilted his head in attentiveness.

"He's going to hate me forever, isn't he…" After the words left her lips, she slowly upturned her head to face him. She desperately sought out the reassurance and in his face. "No he isn't," he chided. "And I think you know him well enough to know that."

She kept quiet, hoping he would continue to speak. "I don't know exactly what is going on between you two, but I suspect there's much more to it than I'm aware of." Sakura felt herself becoming bashful, both not wanting to reveal her secret to her sensei, but also desiring the relief of disclosure. Kakashi affably rolled his eyes. "Naruto is…sensitive, in a way. He's so used to people abandoning him, people taking advantage of him…I imagine there's a limit somewhere." He crouched down next to her and looked into her sunken, tired eyes. She stared back with the corners of her eyes beginning to water. "He won't hate you forever. But this isn't going to fix itself by pretending whatever happened, didn't happen. And I think you know what you need to do."

Sakura felt immense relief at her sensei's words. Unhinging her knees from the grips of her arms, she wiped away the budding tear in the corner of her eye.

"Now, let's get up. Time to pack."

…

The three of them continued to trek through the humid depths of their forest, each of their sense hyper-sensitive to the bumps and creaks from every angle. Kakashi led out in front, nose still buried into a book, while Sakura trailed behind. Although she was desperate to stay vigilant, her exhaustion radiated through every limb; it was like she was bogged down in a casing of mud. She felt Naruto and Kakashi in front of her disappearing by five, ten, fifteen feet in front of her every time she blinked. She knew that she wouldn't be able to continue for much longer. "Kakashi-sensei?" she yawned. "Could we take just a short break?

"I suppose. It is rather late in the day already. We could just set up camp here?" By the time he turned around to scope out the area, Sakura had already lowered herself down to the ground, leaning quietly on the tree. "Thank you," she tiredly mumbled. Letting out a small chuckle, Kakashi continued to trail off. "Well, while she's sleeping, I'm going to go for a walk. You stay here with her."

Naruto stood defiantly before his sensei. "Why should I have to stay? She'll be fine."

"You can't know that, Naruto. What if something were to happen to her? You don't want that on your conscience, do you?"

"But—"

With his back turned, Kakashi nonchalantly waved as he strolled away. "If she's not up in an hour, you should probably wake her."

Left alone, Naruto turned to look at Sakura. She wasn't completely asleep, and her eyes hung open ever so slightly. He nervously tapped his foot. Though in his heart he had begun to feel bad about the night before; it was rare that Sakura, though hot-headed, would blow up in such an emotional and jarring way. Naruto thought it was strange to imagine that such an innocuous, miniscule secret could have led them to this. It had become his new daydream, imagining a billion different scenarios in his head about how things may have been different for them. He was broken from his fantasy at the sound of a quiet, whispery call of his name. He turned around knowing it to be her voice. "Naruto," she repeated, knowing now that she had his attention. "You don't have to stay. You can leave." He was surprised by her sudden assertion. All this time, she had been trying her damnedest to keep him by her side, and now she was telling him to leave? He dug his toe into the dirt with his hands in his pocket.

"It's all right. I'll stay."

"Really, you can go if you want to."

"I'll stay."

The azure sky above them began to mix with the pink and orange clouds that set against the sun, as the birds and butterflies above them nested into the trees. Naruto quietly thought to himself. _I wouldn't want something to happen to you._

Sakura breathed a single sigh of relief as she allowed herself to finally rest.

…

He kneeled down by the riverbank, shielded in the sputtering water's mist and the moon's clear light. It had been difficult for him to fall back to sleep for nearly an hour now, having awoken in a panic and needing to get some fresh air. Letting out an exasperated sigh, he lowered his hands below the surface of the water and let the cool river run between his fingers. He turned his palms up toward himself, cupping a shallow pool of water, and watched his breathless reflection. All of the grief he had been feeling laid heavily in his eyes, resting them only for a moment before he heard a rustling of leaves and brush behind him. He turned around to find a dainty, shadowy figure emerge from behind a twisted tree. "Who's there?" He demanded. He pulled his hands from the water and patted them dry on his pants.

"It's me," He heard a recognizable voice call out. From behind the cover of darkness, Sakura stepped out into the soft light. She watched as he recoiled just a bit, resisting the urge to turn around. His eyes scanned her up and down, but he was caught by the fragility in her face. Everything in himself told him to leave; he should just turn his back to her in spite, harbor the scorn in his heart, and leave and never return to her again. To never be caught in her hands again. _Perhaps she's had enough._ After being ignored by him for days now, and after he didn't rise to leave the moment she arrived, Sakura jumped at the opportunity and slowly began to walk towards him. She took each step as lightly as possible, not wanting to make much noise if any at all. She clung to the blanket that she had draped over her shoulders, and lowered herself down next to him. He gazed at her out of the corner of his eyes, but said nothing more.

Neither of them spoke for minutes, but continued to just sit together. "Naruto, please talk to me," she mumbled. Gripping the blanket in one hand, she placed the other on top of his. Every inch closer she got to him, he felt a well of fire rising up in his chest. As he became acutely aware of this, Sakura took his hand and quickly brought it closer to her, resting it on her knee. He confusingly let her hold his hand while he resisted the instinct to pull away. She dropped the blanket from her shoulders and let it fall to her waist, Naruto felt his breath hitch. Beneath the blanket she had nothing but a short, thin camisole that rode an inch above her bellybutton, and her smallest pair of boxer shorts. The blood rushed to his head as he stared, blinking wildly, at her body before him. Having only seen her like this once before, it opened up the floodgate to the memory of the night he spent with her during the war, and he felt the same panic and devastation overtake him again. "Naruto," Sakura whispered, watching as he began to shake. A smile crossed her face as she cooed his name. "Go ahead. You can."

He immediately withdrew his hand and shook his head. "No, no. I don't want to."

"Naruto, I know that you do. I'm telling you that I want you to."

"No, no, I can't," he stammered, turning on his heel and quickly rising. His thoughts raced with anger and lust and frustration and guilt; all of these feelings intertwined and coursed through every extremity in his body. The only thing he could think of was every innocuous, friendly sparing session he had with her; part of him wished to truly, actually fight with her. "Naruto, please!" Sakura cried, hastily following after him and reaching out for his arm. At the touch of her fingers he stopped in his tracks, and he could hear the strain in her voice. "Naruto, please," she pleaded quietly, "what do I have to do for you to forgive me?"

He remembered the way she looked in her wedding dress, her eyes glinting with both light and tears, happier than he had ever seen her, even as she married both his best friend and his worst enemy. He had made it happen; it was all because of his stupid, horrible promise. In his mind he relived that night. She had walked in so calmly, sensuous and serene, but immediately melted once she slumped into his arms. Her kisses were warm and sweet like her tears, her hands gently caressing his wounded head. Her legs straddled over him. His hands wandering up her back.

"Sakura," Naruto hissed with his back toward her. "Did you ever stop to think that maybe I don't _want_ you anymore?"

He could hear the sound of her quietly draw in her breath. Over his shoulder he glared at her, and silently relished in the damage his words had done. In her hand she clenched the blanket tighter and cowered away from Naruto, listlessly releasing her grip on his jacket and letting it drop by her side. She was feeling the same panic as she had the night before; she wished to run away, to pretend she hadn't made this ugly mistake, and simply move on with his passive-aggression. But she couldn't. Sakura was desperate to make him understand, and desperate for his forgiveness. And if not his love, then at the very least his friendship. The thought of losing either of these things transformed her quietly hitched breathing into pained, anxious pants, tears following suit.

"You don't understand, Sakura…do you?"

Her eyes were soft and dull with tears, and in the midst of her grief, he felt a genuine sense of remorse bleed through into his voice. "That night after the war wasn't just something to do for me."

Sakura's throat closed up, suspending a horrible, aching tension. The mere mention of that night made her stomach turn. In an instant she felt nothing but shame.

"I thought that you loved me, Sakura."

She simply stared at his back. It reminded her of all the years before, the way she stood behind him and let him take the lead; all the confidence she had in him to protect the both of them. The only person he depended on to protect him was Sakura. And she had let him down. She slowly approached him, moving carefully and thoughtfully. In her hand she softly cupped his cheek. Though everything in his heart told him not to look, not to look into her tender, doleful eyes, he did anyway. Sakura calmly spoke.

"I'm sorry, Naruto."

Those three words deafened all the other sounds around them. He had been waiting so long to hear them, not even knowing that he needed to. They came out smooth and soft like silk, never hard or bitter. Breaking their painstaking eye contact, her fingers grazed his cheek while her hand slipped away, and she gently turned back towards the trees, her delicate figure slinking away back through the dark.

Naruto stood alone again, even more confused than before


	9. Chapter 9

Hello all! I just wanted to preface this by saying that this is my first time writing any kind of fight scene, so I hope that it turned out ok! I'd be grateful for any tips for future reference, but I hope you enjoy! xx

* * *

On a particularly warm day, the sun would soon begin to set. Just above the canopy the sky was awash in a deep swirl of blue in orange. For two days, Naruto and Sakura walked on opposite sides of Kakashi. They hadn't spoken about the other night by the river, and conversation was sparse and intermittent. Kakashi sardonically muttered under his breath for the past fifty miles or so, hoping either one of them would eventually mend the tension, yet it was as if he was talking to himself. Far off in the distance, he could begin to make out the thicket of eerie trees that would no doubt be concealing another one of Orochimaru's hideouts.

"That must be it beyond that clearing," Sakura muttered. It had been so long since she had spoken Kakashi had forgotten her observancy. "We should slip into the trees and see if we can find an area that's unguarded for an ambush."

 _At least one of them is having ideas,_ Kakashi thought. He approvingly raised his eyebrows and turned to Naruto, waiting for him to inevitably provide his input. Without looking in either of their directions, he nodded his head. "That sounds like a good idea."

"All right then."

…

The three of them crouched without noise beneath the branches and leaves, peering into the distance as they examined the hideout. A cave carved in the likeness of a snake, moss crawled between its distinct scales, evident of the incredible weathering the rock had withstood. Water stains overlapped each other on its snout. Chips and cracks over varying sizes ripped through its surface.

"It certainly looks the part of a villain's lair, now doesn't it?" Kakashi mocked. Naruto laughingly scoffed under his breath, and he eagerly curled his fingers around the branch in front of him. It made no difference whether they went for a silent ambush or crashing in; he was ready to pounce either way.

"Given the time of day, and the nature of their base, an ambush may be hard to execute," Sakura explained. "We may need to just sneak in as far as we can, and deal with the aftermath once we're inside."

Naruto and Kakashi glanced her way slightly taken aback by her suggestion. Sakura had always been the one to thoroughly weigh their options, look for the stealth route, not wanting to blunder and brawl her way through something. She was strategic. Careful. She smiled weakly.

"You know," She mumbled, gesturing with her hands. "Destroy them from the inside out."

While he contemplated her proposal, Kakashi was overcome with a sickly prickle crawling up his back. It was somehow both faint and strong. Perking up his ears and straightening his back, he let the feeling travel across his body, trying to get a sense of where it was coming from. The dense ruffling of leaves behind him immediately alerted all three of them.

As quickly as Kakashi had turned around, a deftly swift kunai split the bark of the tree, slicing Sakura's cheek ever so slightly. She wasn't even aware of the sensation of being injured until her eyes focused. Her breath escaped her as she touched her fingertips to the wound, silently fixated over her own warm blood out of the corner of her eye. _I…I didn't even hear it._

Catching only the glimpse of a headband as the shadowy figures danced through the trees, he immediately recognized the insignia: Otagakure. Both Naruto and Kakashi quickly found their balance on the branches, withdrawing their own weapons and bracing for the unexpected.

As Sakura looked away from her blood to the kunai, she was startled once she noticed the explosive tag hastily wrapped around its end. Quickly springing to her feet, she hurriedly shouted, "Kakashi-sensei! Naruto! Move!" and leapt from the trees to the ground down below. The both of them turned to watch her disappear, and hastily followed suite.

A gust of smoke bellowed through the foliage as it ignited into flames; an explosion of fire and ash burst through the air and rapidly swept from tree to tree, sending smoldering embers down below as their assailants took refuge in the cloudiness.

"We walked ourselves straight into _their_ ambush," Kakashi hushed, scanning the canopy. Naruto gazed over at Sakura, feeling the mildest of concern for her. It was a habitual, knee-jerk reaction to seeing her hurt in even the smallest of ways. The skin around the cut had become swollen and red, with a thin trail of blood that smeared near her jaw. His line of vision was interrupted as she readily leaned forward, tucking her hand in her pack prepared to rapidly withdraw her shuriken if need be.

His attention was drawn toward the small clearing in front of them as a gaggle of Oto-nin dropped from the shadows in front of them, many of them looking disheveled and manic with fury. It was apparent that even some of them had been experimented on: missing eyes, skin lesions that resembled lightning across their faces, even missing limbs. "Check out the legs on her," a man in the middle growled perversely. Scattered whistles and roars echoed among them. Naruto's eyes found their way back to Sakura, watching her scour in disgust, clenching his fists alongside her. Whispers among the back to the effect of, " _That's it, that's the kid,"_ preceded a gruff Oto-nin up front grumbling, "We've been expecting you." They quickly began to charge toward them in formation, with knives and hand signs aplenty.

Stepping out in front of them before they could react, Sakura promptly began to pull back her fist, let out a familiar battle cry, and unleashed a ferocious blow to the ground, uprooting surrounding trees and sending their lumbering trunks plummeting to the ground, entrapping a few of them beneath their weight; it pummeled the rocky earth below them and sent it rippling through the staggered ninjas.

Both Kakashi and Naruto looked on in surprise as she effortlessly recoiled from the punch, coyly muttering, "Too easy," beneath her breath before designating which splintered groups they should take on. Naruto chuckled to himself, "Finally putting that forehead to work, eh?"

"You know," Sakura teased, tapping her temple. "Big forehead, big brain, right?"

Though there were mere days between when she pleaded with Tsunade to assign her this mission, she spent every one of those days relentlessly training day and night to make up for the time she lost; it was time to take charge. Sakura was determined to prove her worth again.

While Naruto immediately relied on his shadow clones to overwhelm his opponents, her and Kakashi had sights set on two nins who dashed toward them. She coolly ambled between their swings with great dexterity, relying on a gazelle-like nimbleness. For the first time she felt she was truly fighting on the same level as her sensei, though his back was turned to her in defense. She had always felt overshadowed in his eyes, never being worthy of his full attention. She had hoped she'd catch the smallest glimpse of pride in an approving smile beneath his mask before they were through.

Their knives tinged curtly. The sharp noise rang against her ear drums as she lunged forward. Sakura ducked to his side, hoping for an opening. She narrowly dodged a fist that flew toward her head, and in turn grasped it in her palm, wrangling him to the ground.

She held the kunai to his throat, struggling for the strength it would take to cut. He fought back as he pounded against her shaking arms. "Y-you…got some fight…in ya…don'tcha?" he choked out. Sakura flexed with all her muscle, putting her body weight into the kill; she was too focused to think of something witty to say. It was mere inches from his throat. He snarled, "You should…make for lots…o-of fun then." She winced in contempt.

"Sakura, look out!" Immediately glancing over her shoulder, she watched the other ninja rush toward her as Kakashi struggled to regain his footing, turning quick on his heel. He had let his guard down for only a moment.

With all his might he rammed his elbow into her ribs. She barreled over the one on the ground, sliding through the dirt and coming to a stop a full two yards away. Though her brain told her to immediately rise, her body needed a moment to recuperate from having the wind knocked out of her.

Out of the corner of his eye, Naruto saw her limp body in the dirt. Preoccupied with his own fight, he was unable to act on his instincts to immediately rush to her aid. _She'll get up in a second,_ he thought _. She's fine._ When the moment was opportune, Naruto stole glances to her position, watching helplessly as she took a painstakingly long time to rise. Kakashi was impeded by the burly Oto-nin who had since risen from the ground, and putting up quite the fight. As she was struggling to get up, Sakura heard the deafening sound of slow-moving footsteps, and felt the lanky shadow of the man standing over her. She could hear Naruto crying out her name in alarm. The ninja's hand was on the back of her neck. "You'll do just nicely."

He pulled her to her feet, almost tearing the collar. She could hear the slight rasp of fabric ripping. Sakura shook in a breathy panic. He taunted her, whispering, "This'll only hurt a little." The prospect of death caused a surge of adrenaline to pulse through her; with all her weight, she ducked down into a crouch, clasped her hands firmly on his forearm, and pulled forward with every ounce of strength. The man was launched onto his back a few feet in front of her. She aligned her stance and put her fists up. Sakura watched the man leap to his feet _. I can't get trapped again._

No matter how quick she was, there never seemed to be a moment to strike. She was stuck in a perpetual loop of blocking his blows, feeling her arms and shins beginning to bruise at his ever-increasing speed and strength. Baring her teeth in defiance, she struggled to tap into her chakra reserves, her breath becoming more shallow and forceful with every moment. _I can't even make a hand sign! What is wrong with me?_ she thought, strenuously blinking away the heaviness in her eyelids. A wicked grin curled across the Oto-nin's gruesome face, and he snickered deeply. Soon, lethargy rattled through her limbs like the slow drip of honey, soft and gooey. The pit of her stomach furled into a tense ball as the rest of her became as supple as water. He hadn't been getting faster; she was slowing down.

 _B-but…how?_ she wondered.

The laceration on her cheek stung anew.

 _N-no…it…it was poisoned!_

It was too late to try to heal herself or extract it; the delayed effect of the poison gave it all the time it needed to run its course through her, sapping her not only of her chakra, but her consciousness. There was nothing she could do.

As her vision faded in and out, she struggled to force herself to stammer backwards. Unable to protect herself, the Oto-nin delivered a debilitating blow to her abdomen, and she could only watch herself as she saw stars, doubling over onto his fist. "Exactly as planned," he cackled. Suddenly accompanied by one of his comrades, they quickly agreed to flee, Sakura in tow, and he brutishly hoisted her over his shoulder. With her last moments of lucidity, she looked up to see Naruto and Kakashi quickly scrambling to overcome their aggressors. Her mouth formed the words to call for him, but nothing came out.


End file.
